In conventional yoke riveting with homogenous rivets, the rivet is compressed between a pair of flat surfaces on the riveting tool and on the holder-on. The deformation essentially reshapes the free end of the rivet shaft extending out from the objects into its second rivet head. This means that the diameter of the rivet shaft must be carefully adapted to the diameter of the holes in the objects so that there will be no gap in the rivet fastening. When fastening together objects of varying thicknesses, rivets of varying lengths must be used. This places requirements of the skill of the riveter and involves a risk of faults especially when there is very little difference in length between the different rivets to be used. The need to use rivets of varying lengths also means that it is not possible to rivet several rivets at the time with the same tool. Rather, the rivets must be compressed one at the time or with a number of rivet yokes at the same time.
The risk of gaps arising in a rivet fastening between for example a pair of sheet metal pieces is greater in those cases where the holes have been punched in the sheet metal pieces than when they have been drilled since punched holes will always be slightly conical with a smaller diameter at the entry side of the punch and the larger diameter on the die side.